By GARY ANDREWS
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Several years ago I was talking with my oldest daughter about the loss of one of her friends. She was sad and upset and called her mother and me to tell us of this sad situation.
Her friend, a 32-year-old mother of one, had passed away due to the unforgiving, uncaring disease of cancer. It broke my heart to hear of someone so young being taken from her family.
Many things we do not understand and one of the strongest points I receive from this situation is that life is not fair. However, we must remember one vital and important thing: God did not promise us a tomorrow.
I am reminded of something I read recently about putting off something you desire until a special occasion. I firmly believe that each day is a gift and we need to take hold of every moment.
A paraphrase of this story is that a man went to his wife’s closet and brought out a small gift box, then unwrapped it very carefully. He said, “Well, I guess this is it.”
His wife had bought this item nine years ago and was saving this clothing for a special occasion. He took the clothing and laid it on the bed next to her dress. These were the clothes he was taking to the funeral home because his wife had just died.
The man said, “Never save something for a special occasion. Everyday in your life is a special occasion.”
These words should touch us enough that we would take time to read more and clean less. We should sit on the porch without worrying about anything. Spending more time with family and less time at work should be our priority. We should use our good china every day and wear our new clothes anytime we feel like it.
The words “Someday…” and “One day…” should start fading away from our dictionary. If it’s worth seeing, listening or doing, then see, listen or do it now. We especially shouldn’t delay, postpone or keep anything that could bring laughter and joy into our lives. Each day, each hour, each minute should be special to us and we should say this to ourselves every morning.
If any of us knew the time we would leave this earth, what would we do before that time? We might call relatives and closest friends. We could call old friends to make peace over past quarrels. Maybe we would go out and have our favorite dinner.
We may regret and feel sad because we didn’t say to our brothers, sisters, and children, not times enough at least, how much we love them.
My daughter’s friend did have the opportunity for a final goodbye to her child and husband. She was one of the fortunate ones, and then, I think to myself, how can someone say a final goodbye to their 3-year old child?
We have become so busy in a hurry up world that many of us forget what is really important. We let worry and other vices deprive us of our days being special. Each day we need to be prepared to go and be with the Lord and all of our earthly experiences will be gone. Will you leave this earth with promises unfulfilled, disagreements unsettled, letters unwritten, sayings to loved ones unsaid, fun things we wanted to do undone, or unused special items still sitting on a shelf because our someday never came?
We need to let go of all the earthly strive that holds us back and remember what we are told in Philippians 4: 6-7; “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Prayer: Thank you Lord for each day of life that you allow me to have. I pray that I will make it a special day and if I have unsettled issues in my life, that you will lead me in making corrective measures for these items. Amen.
(Suggested daily Bible readings: Sunday – Psalm 46:1-3; Monday – Philippians 4:19; Tuesday – Jeremiah 17:8; Wednesday - Luke 10:41-42; Thursday – Romans 8:28; Friday – Isaiah 32:17; Saturday – Hebrews 11:1.)
Gary Andrews is the author of Encouraging Words: 30-days in God’s Word. To obtain a copy go to his website www.gadevotionals.com.